Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Always leave permission to treat with anyone who is looking after your horses.  Always get permission to treat from anyone whose horses you are looking after.  And be specific.  Do you want colic surgery?  If you just say "Jenny has my permission to authorize treatment...." and you don't want colic surgery, you'd better say so or you might be on the hook for a $5000 vet bill (and it might not even work!).  It's also inconsiderate to leave someone in charge of your horse and not discuss these things - it's bad enough to have to make a decision when it's your own horse, but to not know what the owner might want, and to be forced to decide whether to euthanize someone else's horse or authorize expensive treatment is anguish.  Also leave your preferences & your/vet's contact numbers posted on your horse's stall or in your barn.  It does no good if the contact numbers and treatment authorization are in the barn owner's file cabinet and another boarder finds your horse down in the evening when the barn owner isn't around.   Ditto if a neighbor sees a problem and doesn't know your work or cell number.

Think about this not just when you are on vacation, but in terms what will happen to your horse if you can't be reached.  A horse can die of colic in an evening while someone tries to track you down, even if you are just at a friend's house down the street. 

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